HOUSE-SELLING GOES HIGH-TECH COMPUTER SERVICE MATCHES BUYERS WITH HOME OWNERS

When Scott Eckert and his wife Patty went looking to buy a house for sale by its owner and eliminate real estate agents' fees about two years ago, they found there wasn't any service in the South Florida area to help them.

Eckert, the 31-year-old president and originator of Running Pure water filters -- a Deerfield Beach-based business that assembles and markets pharmaceutical carbon water filtration systems for horse owners and breeders -- saw another unique marketing opportunity.

Last week, that opportunity, Buy Owner Inc., opened for business in Corporate Square at 1500 W. Cypress Creek Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.

Buy Owner is a computerized real estate listing service that matches prospective home buyers with the home sellers themselves, eliminating the 5- to-7 percent commissions usually charged by real estate agencies.

For a $199.95 introductory fee, Buy Owner lists homes for sale -- until they are sold -- on its six TeleVideo computer terminals, provides the necessary "for sale" and "open house" signs, a step-by-step do-it-yourself booklet and discount coupons for pest control services, movers and roofers.

At the other end, prospective home buyers are invited to sign up, and for a limited time will receive a free listing of the homes for sale that meet their criteria.

After the unspecified limited time, it will cost $249 for home owners to list with the service until their properties are sold, and $9.95 for potential buyers to receive a month's worth of listings, $45 for five months of updated service.

Buy Owner's 12 employees tell clients the agency does not represent real estate buyers and sellers, and receives no commission on sales.

"We will change the way real estate is being bought and sold in this country," Eckert said. "Over the years, real estate agents have done a very good job convincing the public it can't sell a home without them."

Buy Owner staffers also come to clients' homes, take the information and feed it into the company's computer system.

The company also plans to run listings in Saturday real estate sections, offering home sellers who sign up with them discounted advertising rates.

The company received 200 inquiries from sellers and buyers in response to recent newspaper advertisements it took out, the majority of whom are prospective buyers. The initial homes for sale range from $45,000 to $500,000, Eckert said.

"There's an expanding do-it-yourself market these days, and this seems to naturally fit in with the times," said Eckert, who is the company's president but has financial partners in both of his businesses.

Though the service admittedly is in its infancy, Eckert said he hasn't received any negative responses so far from real estate agencies. In fact, several have signed up to list properties they're trying to sell through Buy Owner, he said.

Through an odd partnership of sorts, the company is also offering clients a money-back plan: If customers are unhappy with Buy Owner's progress on selling their houses, they may switch to real estate agents recommended by the company who will try to sell the homes through traditional channels, deducting the $199.95 payment from their commissions, Eckert said.